Awkward
by WGDWriter
Summary: Both Feliciano and Ludwig haven't been acting like themselves. Kiku decides that it's up to him to figure out what's going on. Three part story with eventual GerIta.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Heyo! Here's a thing I'm working on to make sure my muse doesn't burn out while working on Forget Me Not. It's a three parter which means it's not too short but it's not too long either. I think working on two things instead of just focusing on one thing will help bring more updates. That's what I was doing in the past and I updated almost weekly then. Here's to update luck! Enjoy this short chapter. The next one might be as short but I know the last chapter will be longer for sure.

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Whispers. There's been a lot of that today. He was only able to hear bits and pieces as he walked to his locker, but Kiku frowned nonetheless. A lot of people were talking about a fight. Some suggested a lover's quarrel, though it wasn't proven that the two were together. There was talk on how the two would stumble over their words as they talked. Some even claimed that they would avoid each other's gaze and stand in silence before one of them excused themselves.

Kiku bit his lip as he passed by another group of students, hearing the names Ludwig and Feliciano floating around their conversation. He didn't like hearing all of these people talk behind his two friends' backs, but he had to admit that he was curious. Ludwig and Feliciano were known to be close to one another. If you saw one of them, the other usually wasn't too far off. Kiku hadn't been around them for the whole day, but the Japanese man was able to see something was off.

Ludwig had been very deliberate in making sure Kiku was between Feliciano and himself when they first entered school. Feliciano himself seemed to be quieter and kept his gaze to the floor when the German was around. He could just feel the tension between them and every time the darker haired man tried to speak about it, either Feliciano or Ludwig would talk about something else. Though, they weren't talking to each other like they usually did. They only shared a few sentences with each other before becoming silent and it became Kiku's job to break it. Between the three of them, Kiku was the one they conversed with the most, causing the Japanese man to have two separate conversations on one subject because they refused to build upon each other.

He just couldn't understand it. Everything had been fine on Friday. What happened the past two days to make the inseparable friends so distant all of a sudden? The Japanese man gave into a frustrated sigh as he gathered his homemade lunch. He was going to get them to talk about what happened. Kiku didn't think he could handle being the wall between his two friends for much longer. He was close enough to the two of them to know that they weren't happy. He saw that they would sneak glances at each other when they knew the other wasn't looking. This tension had to be relieved as soon as possible.

Kiku headed outside after relieving himself of unnecessary baggage from his backpack. The three of them shared lunch and with how nice it was outside; the Japanese man knew the other two would be eating out in the courtyard. There was a specific tree near a pond that had been their designated lunch spot for two years now. As Kiku approached their spot, he was disappointed to only see Feliciano. The Italian had his sketch book out beside him, a fish outlined on an open page. It looked that the brunet had abandoned his usual afternoon sketching in favor of eating…or rather, picking at his food. Feliciano looked distracted and upset. Did he and Ludwig have a fight or did Feliciano come alone?

Feliciano's mood perked up once he was close enough, "Hey Kiku! What took you so long?"

The darker haired man settled himself under the shade of the tree as he took his lunch out, "Had to swap books for next period. Where's Ludwig?"

"Talking to a teacher about some extra credit. Said it might take a while." Kiku hummed, hiding his disappointment. He guessed it wasn't the full truth with how much these two were avoiding each other. "So how was your weekend?"

"Relaxing. Yao took the family out of the city to camp and look at the stars. How about you?"

"Really? He finally got all of you guys together for a family outing? It must have been fun to see everyone again!" Feliciano continued on in his usual babble, suspiciously avoiding the question.

Kiku frowned. _So it happened over the weekend?_ Feliciano was about to start talking about good star gazing spots he read about when the other decided to interrupt, "Is everything alright? You're not acting like yourself."

The Italian froze, staring at Kiku like he was going to spill the beans on some great secret he promised to keep. It took Feliciano a moment to compose himself as he moved his gaze down to the grass. "I-It's really nothing. I'm just having some trouble with Chemistry. There's supposed to be a really big test on Thursday and… I-I don't feel ready. I'm not doing too well in that class."

"I understand." The Japanese man offered him a reassuring smile, "Mr. Aden isn't exactly the easiest teacher to have. Ludwig has that class with you right? He could help tutor you." Feliciano only nodded in agreement but sadness overcame him. Kiku watched him, feeling pity for his friend. "Did you and Ludwig get into a fight?"

Feliciano jumped in surprise and shook his head wildly, "No! Nothing like that happened."

"Then what happened? It's obvious something happened between the two of you."

"Nothing happened. Everything's going well between the two of us!"

"Then why aren't you two talking as much as you used to?" Kiku asked, sounding more forceful than he intended, "Since this morning, you guys have exchanged only ten sentences with each other in my presence. The two of you only talked to me and you both avoided each other's gazes between classes. Even now it looks like the two of you seem to be avoiding each other. Ludwig and you are always the first people here yet I'm here while he's still gone." Feliciano was quiet, looking like he was ready to start crying. "Please Feli." He continued, his voice soft as he put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Tell me what happened. I don't like seeing you two so tense around each other."

"We-I…" the brunet sighed, pulling his legs to his chest. Golden eyes were still focused on the ground, welling up as he sighed with defeat, "It's…my fault."

"So it was a fight?"

"No. It…" Feliciano's gaze moved up slightly, looking around with suspicion. They only looked back down when Kiku moved closer so his friend could speak softer, "It happened Sunday. Ludwig came over to help me study for the Chemistry exam. You know better than I do that he knows how to word the most difficult problem in a way I could understand. Kiku…everything was going so well! I was able to understand the work. If I didn't zone out, we wouldn't have…" The brunet hid his face behind his knees, a muffled groan coming from his lips. "I have to confess something. Promise you won't laugh at me?"

Kiku blinked in confusion and could have sworn that his friend's ears were becoming red, "I promise."

The Italian was quiet for a moment before continuing in a softer voice, "I… I like Ludwig. M-More than what a friend should."

Feliciano refused to look up at the Japanese man while Kiku remained silent. In a moment of fear, the Italian peered up to see his friend looking amused.

"Is that all?"

"You said you wouldn't laugh!"

"I'm not." Kiku stated, patting Feliciano's shoulder when he hid his flushed face behind his knees once again, "This isn't something you should be embarrassed about. It's natural to gain strong feelings for those close to you."

"Yeah, well I know for a fact that Ludwig doesn't feel the same way." The other mumbled, lifting his face to rub his eye, "He ran away when we accidentally kissed."

"You what?" Kiku's voice was louder than what Feliciano was comfortable with and the Italian quickly clamped a hand over his friend's mouth.

"You heard me." The other stated, giving the Japanese man a glare before releasing him. Feliciano resumed his previous position, not even looking at Kiku as his face brightened with more embarrassment. "It happened while I was zoning out. We were sitting closer than usual and I think I was staring a bit too long. It just happened and we both seemed to realize what was going on at the same time because we both shot away from each other. Ludwig then said he just remembered he had to do something for his brother before rushing out."

Feliciano once again hid his face, this time to hide the tears that started to roll down his cheeks. Kiku didn't know how to respond, taking in the information. If what the Italian said was true, then his friends' behavior was understandable. _But how long will they act like this?_ Kiku thought as the brunet beside him composed himself. _They have to eventually talk about it or else they'll just push each other away for good._

"I ruined our friendship, didn't I?" Feliciano asked, sadness evident in his voice.

"No. You just need to talk things out with him."

"How? It's awkward being around each other! I don't know how I'm going to bring this up without him running away again or without bailing last minute. It's better to just pretend it never happened."

"That won't help." Kiku shook his head, "It'll just make things worse. Look, I'll help you figure out how to talk to Ludwig about this. I don't like seeing you guys like this."

Feliciano smiled, giving his friend a quick hug, "Thank you."

The bell rang and the two of them gathered their things as fast as they could. As the two of them entered the crowded hallways, the Italian stopped Kiku. "Hey, you had Mr. Aden last year right? Can you help me study?"

The smaller man smiled and nodded, "I'll text you when I'm able to."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Two uploads within the same month? Even in the same week? I think it's obvious that my muse hates a certain series. I did predict that this chapter would be just as short as the first one, but once I get to the last chapter I'm sure it'll be much longer. Enjoy this chapter everyone and see you in the next update!

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The bell rang for the last time that day and Kiku could only sigh. The Japanese man had been hoping he could talk to Ludwig about what happened with Feliciano. If he was going to help the Italian figure out how to talk to the blond, it was best that he got the German's feelings into account. Unfortunately, Kiku couldn't find the right time to talk to Ludwig about it. Out of all the classes they shared, they only sat next to each other in one and that class had a rather strict teacher who did write ups at a drop of a hat. The other two classes might have worked better if the majority of the school's main gossipers weren't in them.

Kiku gathered his things from his locker, planning on how he could approach the German the next day without Feliciano around. Just as the Japanese man shouldered his backpack and closed his locker, he noticed Ludwig walking by alone. This could be his chance!

"Ludwig!" Kiku called out to the blond and made his way through the crowd of students that were either taking their sweet time in the halls, or fighting to make it through the halls between those who just stood around.

Ludwig turned at the sound of his friend's voice and offered a hand to pull the smaller man beside him so they could walk alongside each other. "Hello, Kiku. Is the newspaper club meeting today?"

"Not until next week. Were you about to pick up Feliciano for that?"

The German shook his head, fixing the straps of his backpack, "No… I actually have to head home now. Gilbert said he has something planned and needs my help."

"Is Feliciano going to be walking home with us again?"

Kiku hoped not. The three of them lived within walking distance between each other and it was common for them to walk home together. If Feliciano were to walk with them, he would be with them through most of the trip and by the time the Italian got home, Ludwig would be only a couple houses away from his home. There wouldn't be any time for Kiku to talk to him at all.

"He's helping the drama club with something today." Ludwig replied.

Kiku internally cheered. "I see." He said, trying his best to sound nonchalant about it.

Ludwig just simply hummed in response and the two of them walked together in silence. As they made their way out of school, Kiku contemplated on how to approach the situation with Ludwig. He really wanted to be upfront with the German, but he also didn't want Ludwig to weasel out of the conversation due to embarrassment.

"Did… you and Feliciano get into a fight?" Kiku asked when they were out of ear shot of any students.

Ludwig raised an eyebrow at him, surprised at the sudden question out of the blue. "No? What gave you that idea?"

"Well, you used me as a wall to separate the two of you for one thing. You guys barely had a full conversation with each other either." The darker haired man counted the reasons with his fingers, watching the German come to realize his actions. "Something happened and neither of you looked too happy to be around each other."

The blond blinked in surprise, staying silent as his gaze moved to the ground. His face seemed to brighten and he adjusted his backpack on his shoulders. "I didn't realize…" Ludwig paused and sighed before looking straight ahead, "Kiku, I know you mean well but I don't want to talk about it. It was just a simple mistake. I can sort things out myself."

Kiku began to internally panic. He couldn't let his friend avoid talking about what happened! "Feliciano told me!" He blurted it out so abruptly, he made Ludwig stop mid-step.

"W-What?" Ludwig stared at the smaller man wide eyed and almost looked pale.

"He told me what happened during lunch."

The German looked shocked for a moment before frowning. Kiku could tell that Ludwig was angry and heard him mutter, "That's exactly like Feli" under his breath before giving his attention to the Japanese man. "If you knew, why act like you didn't know anything?"

"I apologize. I was hoping you'd openly talk about it without me asking about it." Kiku admitted, "I only wanted to help you guys out. You're both my friend and I would hope that you would come to me if something was bothering you. I just don't want you two to grow apart because of this."

"I don't want to talk." Ludwig stated, waving his hand in an attempt to dismiss the topic for good as he continued walking home.

"Well you have to talk about it sometime!" Kiku stressed, moving to catch up with him, "Feliciano feels like he did something wrong!"

Once again Ludwig had to stop mid-step, this time nearly tripping on his own feet. Kiku could see that the blond was both surprised and confused before his gaze fell to the ground once again. "That's like him; taking the blame when it's really my fault."

"Your fault?"

He stayed silent and sighed as he continued walking at a slower pace. Kiku frowned with sadness as he followed, feeling disappointed in himself. Ludwig didn't look like he was going to elaborate and the smaller man wasn't sure if he should risk getting his friend mad or if he should drop the subject altogether.

"I've… liked Feliciano for a while now." Ludwig spoke in a quiet voice, making Kiku turn his head in surprise, "Remember when I told you I was getting ready for a date back in freshman year?" Kiku thought for a moment before silently nodding. "Well… that was supposed to be a date with Feliciano."

"Oh?" Kiku asked.

The German nodded, feeling his face heat up at the memory. "Emphasis on supposed. I had thought he shared the same feelings but he wasn't treating it like a date. I've been doing everything I could to not ruin our friendship since, but it looks like I screwed up."

"Ludwig, you didn't ruin it."

"Kiku, I used you as a wall to separate me and Feli and I made up excuses so I wouldn't be around him alone." Well, Kiku couldn't deny that but that didn't stop the Japanese man from rolling his eyes at Ludwig. "I'm sure Feli told you about our study session."

"He did, but I'd like to hear your side of the story."

"What's there to say?" Ludwig asked, kicking the ground in frustration, "I was explaining the questions to him and I think we got too close. You know how he likes to kiss my cheek as a thank you sometimes? Well, I'm sure he was going to do that and I turned my head and we just…" He growled in both frustration and embarrassment, slapping a hand to his red forehead.

"I panicked after we pulled away." He continued, sadness overtaking his embarrassment, "I made up some excuse and left as fast as I could. I have been trying to figure out how to talk to him about all of this, but as you saw it's just been too awkward."

Kiku nodded, "I can see that, but avoiding the topic isn't helping. You guys need to talk as soon as possible."

"I know, but I can't just speak to him about it right now!"

"Ludwig, please-" Kiku tried to reason with the blond, but the German moved ahead and glanced back at the Japanese man.

"Thank you Kiku for listening and for your concern, but I just can't deal with this right now. Just let me figure things out first and then I'll talk to him."

Before Kiku could say another word, Ludwig ran to his house that was just a few doors down. The smaller man could just stand there, stunned at the blond's sudden retreat. After a moment of letting Ludwig's words sink in, he sighed and shook his head as he continued walking home. _What's there to figure out? Everything is as clear as day!_ As Kiku neared his house, he glanced back at Ludwig's house with a determined look. He was going to get those two to talk and once they did, they'd have to realize their mutual feelings for each other.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I got kinda stuck with Forget Me Not so I decided to work on the final chapter of this. It's definitely longer than the previous two chapters which I'm happy about. In other story news, I have been thinking about anther NSFW fic but I'm not too sure about it yet. It's probably going to take 6 months to write it and publish it just like the last one. More on that in the future. For now, just enjoy the fluff here and I'll be seeing you guys in the next update!

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Feliciano moved through the ocean of students, occasionally looking at the room numbers to make sure he was going the right way. The Italian always wondered why the halls always seemed to be busier after school on Wednesdays. It was terrible, especially when you had to make it to club meetings or meetings in general. As Feliciano moved further down the hall, there became less and less students which the brunet breathed a sigh of relief to. He looked at the classroom numbers once again and opened the door to room 254. After making sure the room was empty, the Italian made sure to put the room's doorstop between the door and its frame before dumping his backpack on one of the desks and sat down.

Feliciano pulled his cellphone out and texted Kiku with nervous fingers. He didn't like being in this room alone. Last time he was alone in here, the door closed and got stuck causing the poor Italian to be trapped for almost three hours. As the brunet waited for his friend's response, he wondered why the Japanese man chose this room out of all the other available ones in the school. Everyone knew that the door to this classroom loved to get stuck. The only way to get out was for someone outside to open the door which was why the door was either left open or use the doorstop kept it cracked during class.

To calm his nerves, Feliciano began taking out his Chemistry book and notes. The brunet was happy that Kiku finally found some time to help him study, even if it was the day before his big exam. He would have been there with the Italian, but Elizabeta needed the darker haired man for a favor, causing Feliciano to go on alone. But it was okay! Once Kiku showed up, he would help the brunet. The Japanese man knew many ways to make his work sound simpler, just like Ludwig did!

Feliciano blinked at the sudden thought of the German and did his best to push it aside. Unfortunately, the thought of Ludwig was a hard one to pass up and his thoughts immediately went to their disastrous study session. Sadness was quick to settle in and the Italian couldn't help but internally yell at himself. Why couldn't he pay attention? He just had to zone out and let that kiss happen, didn't he? Ugh. Nothing was ever going to be the same between the two of them again!

A loud squeak broke Feliciano out of his thoughts and he looked up to see the door opening up. The brunet sighed with relief. Kiku showed up at the most opportune moment. The Italian could really use a distraction. But as Feliciano stood up to greet the Japanese man, he came to see that it was Ludwig at the door. The German was just checking the doorstop when his blue eyes met with surprised amber ones.

The calm air became tense as the two friends stared at one another. Feliciano could just feel his blood run cold and his head seemed to feel lighter than it did just a second ago. Ludwig looked equally tense, his hand still on the door's handle and his backpack hanging off one arm. The two of them just stared. Neither of them seemed to know what to do. In an attempt to break the unsettling silence, Feliciano moved his stiff arm to give the blond a small wave.

"Hi, Ludwig." His voice was quiet. It seemed almost unnatural to him.

"Hello." The German's was equally quiet, though he cleared his throat and continued a bit louder, "I-I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"Oh, you don't need to apologize." Feliciano laughed, "I'm just waiting for Kiku. He's going to help me study."

The brunet bit his lip at the word study while Ludwig flinched. The blond recovered after a few seconds and gave the other a silent nod while pulling his backpack back onto his shoulder. He had moved away from the door, but it looked like he wanted to leave.

"I-I was going to meet up with Elizabeta here. She said she had an idea for a club but we can talk about that outside since you need the room."

"Wait!" Feliciano called out, seeing Ludwig move to head outside. The blond paused, giving Feliciano some courage to continue. "W-Why don't you stay? You can sit at a desk and be comfortable that way instead of standing outside."

Ludwig stared at the brunet. He could see those begging eyes and Feliciano even motioned to all the available desks in the room for emphasis. It was…tempting. As much as he wanted to sit and enjoy his friend's presence once again, he didn't want to deal with anymore awkward silence than he had to.

"No, it's okay." The blond shook his head, giving the Italian an apologetic look, "Thanks anyway."

It hurt to see Feliciano looking sad at his rejection, but the brunet just nodded and offered him a smile in return. "Alright. I'll see you later then?"

He nodded and turned to leave the classroom once again. As he approached the door, it sounded like students were arguing outside and only proceeded to get louder. Just as Ludwig moved to push the door open, two people slammed against the door causing the German to jump back. Through the window, he was able to see Alfred, the school's Quarterback, being pushed by Ivan, a Wide receiver. The two teammates yelled at each other and nearly started wrestling in the middle of the hall when a teacher came along and broke them up before leading the two away.

"What happened?" Feliciano was standing in front of his desk, trying to peek out the door window.

"Looks like Alfred and Ivan got into another argument." Ludwig shrugged, adjusting his backpack once more, "It's best to ignore the reasoning when it comes to those two."

After determining that it was safe to leave, the blond pushed against the door only for it to not open. He blinked in confusion, looking to the ground to see the doorstop had been dislodged. Ludwig felt his body grow cold at the realization that Alfred and Ivan closed the door on them during the fight. In one last effort to see if he could force the door open, the German rammed his shoulder into the door. The only thing that resulted was having Feliciano inch closer to the front of the classroom with worried eyes.

"Um…" Ludwig looked over to the brunet, mirroring the Italian's worried look, "I'm afraid we're stuck in here."

"W-What?" Feliciano squeaked, the color draining from his face.

The poor Italian thought back to when he was last stuck in this classroom and had to lean against a desk to steady himself. Those three hours came back. Nobody was around to hear him banging on the door. What if the same thing happened, except he was stuck there for the whole night?! Feliciano nearly ran to the door, banging on it and rattling the handle in desperation while he called for help. There couldn't of only been Alfred and Ivan in the hall. Someone else must be out there!

"Give it up, Feliciano." Ludwig sighed, "There's no one else out there now. You're just wasting energy."

The Italian stopped, standing there in silence before moving to sit at a desk. He was shaking like a leaf and could only internally panic. His heart seemed to be trying to beat out of his chest and his eyes began to sting. Ludwig immediately took Feliciano's place and the Italian watched as the blond leaned up against the wall to stare out the window with crossed arms. The German was stuck in here with him. He wasn't alone. That thought alone calmed the Italian. Ludwig was with him and keeping watch. Feliciano's heart slowed to a steady beat and he took a deep breath. He didn't need to panic. Everything was going to be okay.

Feliciano jumped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He quickly got it out and saw he had a message from Kiku.

 _I apologize for taking so long. After helping Elizabeta, Mr. Aden asked for some help._

Feliciano felt his hope fall then rise again. Kiku was their key out!

 _Please hurry! The door closed and now I'm stuck in here with Ludwig._

After a few seconds passed by, Kiku sent another response. _I'll try to hurry. I'm already in the middle of helping him. Why don't you talk to Ludwig about what happened?_

He felt the blood run from his face and his heart nearly stopped. _No! I can't talk to him about that now. I don't know what to say. What if he shuts me out?_

 _He wants to talk. Trust me on this. You just need to give him the push to do so._

Feliciano stared at Kiku's last message, feeling his heart beat racing again. He was right, but he was scared. Their friendship was hanging by a thread. The Italian didn't want to be the one to make it snap. With a deep breath, the brunet pocketed his phone and turned his attention to his best friend.

"H-Hey, Ludwig?" Feliciano spoke up, causing Ludwig to glance at him for a moment before looking back out the window, "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"About…what happened…"

Ludwig's body seemed to become rigid, face brightening up before the blond began fidgeting. He refused to look back at the other man, reaching out to try the doorknob once again as if the door would magically become unstuck despite knowing otherwise. The silence that was somewhat comfortable before became tense, even more so under the Italian's eye.

"…There's nothing to talk about." he finally stated, continuing to stare out the window.

Feliciano was quiet, staring at the one person who became his first best friend. Was that accidental kiss really going to tear apart their friendship? The brunette's eyes began to sting at the possibility, but he blinked away the tears that wanted to form.

"Yes there is!" Feliciano almost shouted, standing up quickly.

Ludwig's head snapped towards the smaller boy, surprised by the brunette's actions. His body stiffened up upon seeing Feliciano in distress. Those amber eyes shining with forming tears, body shaking from pent up emotion… Ludwig never liked seeing Feliciano so upset, but even with his instinct to step forward and comfort him came; the blond couldn't move.

"…You probably already felt it." Feliciano continued, his voice quieter as his gaze fell to the floor, "Every time we see each other… it's just been one awkward encounter after another. It's like we have begun to build a wall between each other and…" A sniffle was heard and when he finally brought his head up to look Ludwig in the eye, the tears he had been trying to keep back began rolling down his cheeks. "Are we going to be able to stay friends? I don't want to think about not being around you…" Wiping the tears with the back of his hand, Feliciano lowered his gaze once again. "We… we could pretend it never happened. I just want us to be back to where we were before…"

Ludwig stared at Feliciano, unsure of what to say… unsure of what to do. He really had a strong urge to just go and embrace the Italian, to say that everything was going to be okay. But would everything really be okay? Releasing a frustrated sigh, Ludwig pushed a hand through his hair and walked to the other side of the classroom, very aware of the amber eyes that followed his every move.

"This… this isn't something we can just ignore!" Ludwig voiced, throwing his hands in the air and covering his face, "We can't just… pretend that kiss didn't happen. This isn't some problem that we can word differently just because we don't like it. If anything, that's just going to make things more awkward!"

"Then what?" Feliciano asked, moving towards Ludwig, afraid of what the blond would say, "I don't want to stop being friends. I… I didn't mean to ruin our friendship!"

"You ruin our friendship?" Ludwig lowered his arms, staring at the other, "Why are you taking the blame for all of this?"

"Because I-" Feliciano paused, staring back at Ludwig with confusion, "You… don't blame me for the kiss?"

Ludwig opened his mouth to speak, but nothing coherent came out. He quickly shut his mouth, cheeks reddening. Feliciano's face wasn't paler in comparison as the whole thing donned on the two of them. The silence seemed suffocating, but neither could figure out what to say. Despite what was being implied, it had to be too good to be true. They couldn't both be at fault.

"Ludwig…" Feliciano was the first to break the silence. The Italian seemed to have recovered, eyes looking hopeful as he stepped closer to the blond. "I do like you. Like… really like you."

The German's face only got redder, though he did manage to find his voice this time, "I… really like you too."

A big smile formed on Feliciano's lips as he rushed over to Ludwig and hugged him. Laughter filled the room, at first only the brunet's but the blond followed suit before hugging the other back. The room soon became silent as Feliciano pulled away, a few stray tears from before escaping but were quickly wiped away.

"I'm so happy." The Italian beamed, taking Ludwig's hand into his and squeezing it.

"Me too." He responded squeezing back.

Feliciano went and hugged him again. The two shared the pleasant silence, enjoying the new closeness between them. The smaller man moved back slightly, staring up into the blue of the German's eyes. As if by instinct, Feliciano moved closer as Ludwig leaned down and tilted his head. Their lips were just inches away when a loud squeak made them jump away from each other.

"Did you two get together yet?" Alfred called from the open doorway.

The new couple's faces turned bright red seeing that along with the Quarterback, there was also Kiku, Elizabeta, and Ivan in the doorway. The two of them spluttered incoherent sentences while Kiku and Elizabeta glared at the American. Alfred noticed and gave the two a confused look.

"What?"

"Alfred, you're too loud." Ivan shook his head, feeling sorry for the couple.

"W-What's the meaning of this!" Ludwig shouted, finally having a grip on words. His anger had finally taken over his embarrassment of the situation.

"I apologize, Ludwig, Feliciano." Kiku stepped forward, "This was for your own good."

"What do you mean?" Feliciano asked, staring at everyone in confusion.

"We came up with a plan to get you two together." Elizabeta elaborated.

"Though, locking you guys in here wasn't part of the plan." Alfred offered with a nervous laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck, "That was pure improv on my part. I was just being a hero and saving the day!"

"Yeah, with three days detention." Ivan pointed out coldly.

The American laughed and slapped the Russian's back, "It's worth it in the end." By the look in Ivan's eye, he didn't believe it.

"But why?" Ludwig demanded, "What could have possibly made you guys come up with this scheme!"

"I'm the one who talked to the two of you." Kiku reminded, "Both of you admitted to having feelings for the other."

"Why not just tell us then?"

"Would either of you believed me if I said so?" The silence in the room answered Kiku's question. "You had to see it for yourselves and this was the only way."

"Besides," Elizabeta smiled, walking into the room and guided Feliciano back to Ludwig's side, "The two of you look adorable together. Everyone suspected it was going to happen eventually."

Ludwig's face flushed with embarrassment once again and tried to make words come out of his spluttering mouth. Alfred and Elizabeta just laughed while Ivan commented on how lively everyone was getting. Feliciano just simply smiled, feeling just as embarrassed as the German, but also happier than he's felt in a while. He locked eyes with Kiku who was smiling at his two friends, happy with the outcome. The Italian mouthed a quick thank you to him and took Ludwig's hand into his own once again.

"Hey, since both of you are here, can you help me study for the exam tomorrow?"


End file.
